There are several reasons that inkjet printing has become a popular way of recording images on various media surfaces, particularly paper and photo media substrates. Some of these reasons include low printer noise, capability of high-speed recording, and capability of multi-color recording. Additionally, these advantages can be obtained at a relatively low price to consumers. With respect to inkjet ink chemistry, the majority of commercial inkjet inks are water-based. Thus, their constituents are generally water-soluble, as in the case of many dyes, or water dispersible, as in the case of pigments. Furthermore, inkjet inks have low viscosity to accommodate high frequency jetting and firing chamber refill processes common to thermal inkjet architecture.
Polymers are used to improve the durability of prints using a variety of printing techniques. An example is the dry toner used in the commercial printers. Use of such polymers is difficult in the case of water-based inkjet inks because of the requirement that the ink have water-like viscosity. It is technically challenging to keep these polymers in dispersion while still being able to form a print film after printing. To overcome this problem, latex polymers are commonly added since such polymers show low viscosity with higher amount of solid contents. However, the durability of such systems varies depending on the print media, compared to electrophotography or UV-based technologies. This is due to a “phase separation” of pigment and polymer particles. Recently, chemical fixers or bonding agents have been used to improve waterfastness and possibly durability. However, such a type of fixing system does not show the desired improvement in terms of rub resistance although it improves highlighter fastness.